When you swap expensive bottled water for water filters you are reducing your footprint on the environment and also saving money, but did you know you can also recycle water filters? Now what if we put on our best game show host voice and said: “But wait! There’s more!” Many companies have recycling initiatives that also offer discounts on future water filter purchases or credits toward charity.

Below we will detail a few of these initiatives so you too can get involved. When shipping used filters always remember to dry them out for 3 days, wrap them in a plastic bag, and ship them in the appropriate container. Some programs have rules about how many filters must be sent back at a time.

Remember, your local recycling service may not accept plastics. Don’t put used filters or other #5 plastics in bins if they can not be processed locally. If possible save filters and other plastics for as long as possible and use one of the below programs or take a short trip to the closest recycling center that accepts #5 plastics. The more you take a once means fewer trips and less pollution from your car.

Brita Recycling Program

Brita has partnered with TerraCycle to process and reuse 97% of pitchers, dispensers, bottles, faucet systems, filters, and filter packaging and material.

Go signup at Terracycle and print a free shipping label, box up your used filters, and send out the box. For every 2 pounds of Brita products you collect you receive 50 points that can be redeemed towards a charitable gift to the non-profit organization of your choice.

Whirlpool Recycling Program

Whirlpool and g2 revolution are working to give consumers the option of not having to throw out their used refrigerator water filters. Their recycle program is determined to see that as little material possible ends up in landfills. Like the Brita program above, Whirlpool and g2 revolution make it easy to recycle your old water filter, but there are a few difference. First, you will notice that the recycling kit is not free. Before returning your used filter you will need to purchase a Water Filter Recycling Kit for $8.99.

In exchange for the upfront cost of the used filter, you will receive a promo code for 20% plus free shipping on your next participating refrigerator water filter purchase. Try it for yourself over at their website.

Mavea Recycling Program

Mavea’s Take-Back and Recycle Program reuses as much of the used filter as possible to ensure nothing goes into a landfill. This program is free for consumers. Simply print the UPS form and put it on the package. There is a small stipulation that you must send 6 filters at a time.

Zero Water Recycling Program

Zero Water encourages customers to reduce their carbon footprint by filling out their recycling form and returning at least 2 Zero Water filters. In exchange for paying UPS shipping you will receive a coupon code worth $10 on ZeroWater.com.

Preserve Gimme 5 Recycling Program

Preserve is serious about recycling plastics. With bins around shopping center such as Whole Foods Markets, and a mailing program that offers reward points through Recylebank, recycling plastic is convenient and easy.

To mail in your filters, print the label, box up your filters and pay postage, then send them off. Don’t forget your name and email address so you can get your code and start redeeming your earned points.

A whole house water filter system installs between your home plumbing and outside water line. Whether you are connected to a public utility or draw your water from a well, a whole house water filter system acts as a barrier against particulate matter such as sediment, dirt, sand, rust and heavy metals. This both reduces the number of contaminants you drink and improves the function of household appliances. With home filtration we see an improvement to the efficiency of hot water heaters, and a longer life for washers, dishwasher, fixtures, coffee makers, and any other equipment that uses hot or cold water including refrigerator, countertop, undersink, faucet-mount and pitcher water filters,

What Contaminants Does a Whole House Water Filter Capture?

The kind of contaminants you want to remove from your household water supply really depends on your water quality and budget. A basic system can provide excellent reduction of chlorine that contributes to bad taste and odor in water and can cause your skin and hair to dry out when taking showers or baths, in addition to reducing larger particles and rust that can cause staining inside toilets and baths. Removing organic matter, cysts, and other parasitic organisms may require a larger system with dual cartridges that also means buying more filters and greater upfront cost. If you use well water or have questionable water quality an ultra-violet whole house water filter system will provide you the benefits of other systems combined with a near-100% removal of all organisms – small of large – that are living in your water.

How Do I Install a Whole House Filter System?

If you are comfortable working with tools and understand the plumbing of your home, installation of your whole house filter system should be a breeze. If you are not sure how to turn off your outside water supply, cut pipe or use power tools you should consult with a local handy-person or contractor. During installation you may require one or more of the following (these may be supplied with the filter system or you will need to buy them yourself): Pipe cutter, sweat connections, ball valve (sweat type), plumbers tape, adjustable wrench, torch, plumbing solder, plumbing flux, pvc or metal pipe. Consult with the product manual to see required tools and material list as they may be different then what is listed here.

The basic steps to installation are as follows. Note that your system may have special instructions. Always consult with the manufacturer supplied instruction before start of any construction.

Determine where you want to install the filter system. It is recommended you install near the central line entering your home.

Cut pipe to length needed to install filter head and recommended bypass.

Assemble filter head on optional bypass system.

Use copper pipe and sweated connections to assemble system.

Install system (valves, piping and filter head) into water supply system.

Use supplied bracket or pipe hangers to support the system.

Install filter cartridge into head while making sure seals and other fittings are placed correctly as this will prevent leaks.

Turn main water supply back on. Flush around 10 gallons through system (15 minutes) before use.

Check for leaks and adjust fittings if necessary.

What Whole House Filter System is Best?

The best system may not be right for you. The size of your home and water quality will tell you what system will be the most effective. We recommend you first test your water to see which contaminants need to be removed. Since most whole-house filters remove similar contaminants, you may want consider other factors such as micron rating, (the smaller this number, the more efficient the filter will be at removing smaller particles) flow rate and filter life. For optimal water filtration you will need to install point-of-use systems around your home. These can include a shower filter, undersink filter, countertop filter, or refrigerator filter.

Washing fruit and vegetables before eating can prevent health issues related to pesticides and E.coli.

Are you in the habit of washing fruits and vegetables you buy from grocery stores or farmers markets before eating them? It is easy to think of nature’s bounty as a pure source of good nutrition that can’t have any ill effect. You would be right if it was grown in your backyard without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. Except for many of us that isn’t the case.

Think about the last time you went to the grocery store. Did you pick up a piece of fruit or vegetable, turn it in your hand and check for ripeness before setting it back down? This is common practice and unfortunately a lot of people aren’t so meticulous about keeping their hands clean. Consider that before ever reaching the display a farmer has plucked the fruit with dirty hands or grimy machinery, in addition to the use of pesticides to protect their crops from insects. These potentially unsafe handling practices can spark outbreaks of E.coli or other long-term health issues that can lead to serious health problems.

“Even if the organic food you’re eating is from a farm which uses little to no pesticides at all, there is another problem: getting rid of pesticides doesn’t mean your food is free from harmful things. Between 1990 and 2001, over 10,000 people fell ill due to foods contaminated with pathogens like E. coli, and many have organic foods to blame. That’s because organic foods tend to have higher levels of potential pathogens.”

The article goes on to say, “the reason for the higher pathogen prevalence is likely due to the use of manure instead of artificial fertilizers, as many pathogens are spread through fecal contamination. Conventional farms often use manure, too, but they use irradiation and a full array of non-organic anti-microbial agents as well, and without those, organic foods run a higher risk of containing something that will make a person sick.”

Let’s cut to the chase. Cleaning fruits and vegetables isn’t difficult. Except water alone isn’t enough. In supermarkets you will find packaging for certain products that read: Double or triple washed. This may be enough but doesn’t provide enough of a guarantee as a lot of produce, vegetables especially, have deep crevices or areas that might not be exposed to running water.

NPR looked at a Cook’s Illustrated study to determine the best method to cleaning fruits and vegetables . The outcome? Using a scrub brush removes 85% of bacteria, while diluting 1 cup of white vinegar in 3 cups water works to remove 98% of bacteria. Because that is the most effective method for clean food, it’s what we want everyone to to use going forward.

It is also very easy! For smooth skinned produce you can fill a spray bottle and coat the surface of your produce 6 or more times, let it sit for 30 seconds, then rinse. Lettuce, Kale, broccoli, and other produce with areas that are hard to clean need to soak for 2-minutes in the same 1-to-3 solution of white vinegar and water. Note that leaves should be separated to ensure complete coverage. To prevent cross-contamination clean your sink when finished!

That leaves one final question: Tap water or filtered water? The point of washing our food is to ensure total food safety! As we recently wrote, filtering tap water isn’t all that expensive. There are chemicals in our water supply like chlorine that kill bacteria but leave behind unpleasant tastes and can damage the cells in our body. Plus, contaminants are proving to be an ever-present threat even in large cities where we would clean water would be more important when hundreds of thousands are at risk.

So yes, you should definitely filter your water before cleaning fruit or vegetables! Whatever you expose your food to leaves a risk of contamination.

Since you will be working around your sink when washing fruit and vegetables, we highly recommend a water faucet filter or under sink water filter system. Faucet filter systems either twist onto the end of the spout or sit between the water line and the faucet. Under sink systems stay out of sight though require tools and a little know-how to install. Either solution gives you cleaner water at the turn of a handle. Remember, filtered water is marginally more expensive that tap water alone, with most water filters capable of removing waterborne contaminants from hundreds of gallons of water before they should be replaced.